1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the handling of dough for baking, and more particularly concerns a method and apparatus for dispensing successive pieces of dough of constant weight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methods and apparatus for pumping, homogenizing and dividing dough into pieces of predetermined uniform weight for baking into bread loaves, buns, rolls and the like are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,601; 4,517,212; 4,449,908; 4,424,236; 4,332,538; 4,948,611; and 5,046,940. In general, such apparatus includes a hopper which receives dough, auger means for advancing the dough, metering means which control the advance of the dough, multiple nozzles which receive the metered dough, and cutting means which sever the continuously advancing dough into discrete pieces that fall onto an underlying moving belt.
It is important that the successive dough pieces be of constant weight because bread, buns and rolls are sold on a weight basis. The uniformity of weight also produces products of uniform quality and facilitates the automated handling and packaging of the baked products. The weight of the dough is one of the most expensive cost elements in manufacturing baked goods, and control of the weight tolerances can reduce the need for excess dough. The production of dough pieces of a given weight is known as "scaling" in the trade. In general, less than 2% deviation in weight is sought relative to a target weight.
Modern dough processing equipment operates at high speeds wherein the linear rate of dough extruded through the nozzles may be as high as about 75 feet/minute. The rate of cutting of the stream of dough into discrete pieces may be in the range of 100 to 150 cuts/minute. Since the cutting means acts in a direction transverse to the direction of dough flow, it must move rapidly and with high precision. If the rate of movement of the cutting means is slow relative to the linear rate of movement of the extruded dough, the severed pieces of dough will be of improper shape, or may be fragmented. A problem often encountered at the site of cutting is the accumulation of dough which diminishes the accuracy of the cutting step.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,948,611 and 5,046,940 disclose cutting means comprised of an elongated knife which scrapes a vertically disposed flat exit face having circular orifices therein for emergence of the extruded dough. The knife cuts only on the down-stroke, and is driven by a complex four-bar link mechanism which causes the knife to push the severed piece of dough forwardly before it returns again to its uppermost position. The mass of the blade imposes considerable wear upon the mechanism which drives the blade in its complex path of movement. Also, the relatively large surface area of the blade permits attachment of dough which randomly dislodges onto dough pieces, thereby producing over weight pieces.
Cutter devices known as guillotine cutters are well known for the high speed cutting of continuously advancing substrates. Such devices employ a blade that reciprocates transversely to the direction of movement of the substrate and severs the substrate as it emerges from an interactive anvil or holding member.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide means for cutting a rapidly extruded stream of dough into uniform discrete pieces.
It is another object of this invention to provide cutting means as in the foregoing object having improved accuracy or performance.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide cutting means of the aforesaid nature of simple, durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a method for cutting a rapidly extruded stream of dough into uniform discrete pieces.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.